Vision Expo East 2021 Successfully Brought Together the Vision Care Community for the First, Large-Scale, In-Person Trade Show Since 2019; Vision Expo West to take Place September 22-25 in Las Vegas
Alexandria, VA – June 8, 2021 – Vision Expo East 2021 concluded on Saturday, June 5. The four-day event, which took place for the first time in Orlando, Florida, from June 2-5 at the Orange County Convention Center, marked the first large-scale, in-person trade show for the vision care community since 2019 and brought together thousands of members of the industry.
Vision Expo East 2021 featured more than 200 exhibiting companies across several distinct neighborhoods and offered cutting-edge continuing education and engaging programming. Presented under the banner of VisionEd, Vision Expo’s education program included 120 sessions and more than 160 hours of custom-designed clinical content, as well as a robust offering of courses led by renowned experts in business, fashion and marketing. Returning to the Show, OptiCon®@Vision Expo offered an unmatched education program and exhibit hall experience for opticians, contact lens practitioners and ophthalmic allied professionals.
“With the support of the Orange County Convention Center, we were thrilled to host a successful, safe event for the community to network, learn and conduct business,” said Fran Pennella, Vice President, Vision Expo at Reed Exhibitions. “Based on the feedback from our exhibitors, we know this was a truly impactful event, with new business being conducted and invaluable relationships formed and solidified over the course of the Show.”
New to the Show, The Seen served as a main stage destination and a hub for collaborative learning as the host venue for the EYE2EYE Series panels and the Career Zone. Also new to the Show, the ShopVISION Lounge served as a discovery zone for attendees to learn more about and demo ShopVISION, a new global sourcing platform, as well as the voting destination for the Vision Choice Awards, which recognizes the best new product at Vision Expo East. Carl Zeiss Vision was recognized with the award for 2021.
Vision Expo East 2021 also brought together key industry groups and supporters. The Professional Opticians of Florida offered Florida-required education at Vision Expo East, while the National Optometric Association hosted its regional meeting at the Show. Prevent Blindness also hosted its annual Swing Fore Sight Golf Tournament on June 2.
Additionally, to accommodate members of the vision care community from around the globe, the Show organizers offered Vision Expo+, a free digital extension of the Vision Expo East experience that was available from June 3–5 through ShopVISION, a new global sourcing platform. From June 3–5, nearly 1,000 members of the community took advantage of a number of virtual experiences, including online showrooms from Vision Expo East’s more than 200 exhibitors and livestreamed Vision Expo East content. All events taking place at The Seen were simulcast live on the ShopVISION platform. Additionally, the recorded sessions are now available to view on ShopVISION.
Register for ShopVISION here by clicking the “Sign in/Join” button and then “Register Now.” ShopVISION is being offered on a complimentary basis to all eyecare providers, buyers and all Vision Expo East 2021 exhibitors.
Vision Expo West will take place September 22-25 at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. With the city of Las Vegas fully reopened and returned to pre-pandemic guidelines as of June 1, the Show organizers are planning a robust line-up of events and programming. Vision Expo West will feature several new neighborhoods, in addition to the return of The Suites, as well as a rich CE program and the return of the OptiCon program and hub. Students and young professionals can also look forward to the return of The Career Zone and dedicated student programming. Additionally, The Seen, the main stage destination that made its debut at Vision Expo East, will host special events, panels and programming at Vision Expo West. Vision Expo+ will again be offered as a digital extension of the in-person Show.
Registration for Vision Expo West will open in mid-July.
“Following an incredible Vision Expo East in Orlando, we are more excited than ever to bring the vision care community together again in Las Vegas this September,” said Mitch Barkley, Vice President of Trade Shows and Events at The Vision Council, co-owner of Vision Expo. “With Las Vegas fully reopened as of June 1, we are looking forward to an exciting Show and even more opportunities to connect with the community through special events, programming and education.”
Exhibitor and Attendee Testimonials
“We were very pleased with Vision Expo East 2021, especially considering that we are still in the re-opening phase from COVID-19. We had many excellent discussions with customers from both North and Latin America and were able to generate leads and opportunities. It was great to be at a live show again and we are already looking forward to Vision Expo West in Las Vegas,” said Rich Hughes, President Satisloh North America.
“The entire Etnia Barcelona team was excited to return to the show floor and create a buzz as one of the most visited frame line booths all three days!” said Vicky Perez, Marketing Director North America. “Needless to say, it was a grand success and we are excited to do it all over again at Expo West.”
“For MODO, the show was an initial event to a more reopened industry,” said Rebecca Giefer, CEO at MODO. “The realities of time and place meant the expectations of the show were different from typical expos, but we were happy to be present for the attendees. Seeing both old friends and new faces ‘in real life’ was a gift!”
“After almost a year and a half of not being together as an optometry community, we were thrilled to see everyone and reconnect. At Vision Expo East this year, HOYA Vision Care launched our new loyalty program, the Visionary Alliance™, continuing to invest in the independent ECP,” said Eduardo Martins, Chief Executive Officer, HOYA Vision Care Americas, “We are excited to continue supporting the success of our Eye Care Professionals as they make a difference in their patient’s lives.”
"It was so great to be able to speak with, share, and learn from bright thought leaders in our optical industry,” said Dr. Jennifer Tsai OD, Founder of LINE OF SIGHT and Carrot Eyewear. “Thank you Vision Expo, for bringing everyone together safely."
"Having a virtual opportunity to attend Vision Expo East was the connection to the industry I have been missing over the past 15 months,” said Sheena Taff, Licensed Optician and Optical Blogger. “Vision Expo+ made me feel like I was in the front row of the EYE2EYE Series discussions on The Seen, and allowed me to be tempted by new eyewear through the ShopVISION platform, just as if I was walking the show floor."
"Vision Expo was what the eyecare industry needed to bring everyone together again! The education courses, networking opportunities and creative layout brought so much excitement after a year of uncertainty,” said Dr. Nishan Pressley, Board-Certified Optometrist. “I'm thankful that The Vision Council and Vision Expo were able to bring everyone together in a safe way and I'm looking forward to the next expo!"
“We were pleasantly surprised as the show developed and it was a very successful event for Tura,” said Bob Dunn, Director of Sales, East, at Tura. “Customers were excited to be out while meeting with vendors and seeing new product. Orlando proved to be a great destination spot for Vision Expo East, and we are thrilled with the results.”
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About Vision Expo
Vision Expo East and West are trade-only conferences and exhibitions for eyecare and eyewear presented by co-owners Reed Exhibitions and The Vision Council. Vision Expo is the complete event for ophthalmic professionals, where eyecare meets eyewear, and education, fashion and innovation mingle. In the Vision Expo Exhibit Hall, eyecare providers can discover trends, interact with new technologies and access innovative products and services. The Vision Expo education program is driven by the profession, offering content of the highest quality and relevance to enhance overall patient care. For more information, visit VisionExpo.com and follow Vision Expo on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.
About The Vision Council
As the vision care leader in enabling better vision for better lives, The Vision Council positions its members for success by promoting growth in the vision care industry through education, advocacy, research, consumer outreach, strategic relationship building and industry forums. Furthermore, through a partnership with Think About Your Eyes, The Vision Council supports consumer education around eyewear and eyecare.
About Reed Exhibitions
Reed Exhibitions is a leading global events business. It combines face-to-face with data and digital tools to help customers learn about markets, source products and complete transactions at over 500 events in almost 30 countries across 43 industry sectors, attracting more than 7 million participants.
Our events, organised by 35 global offices, leverage industry expertise, large data sets and technology to enable our customers to generate billions of dollars of revenues for the economic development of local markets and national economies around the world. Reed Exhibitions is part of RELX, a global provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. www.reedexhibitions.com